L-arginine supplements are popular for promoting health, but what about l-citrulline supplements? What is l-citrulline used for?
The body naturally produces different amino acids, including l-citrulline, to help your body function effectively. Many people take l-citrulline supplements to boost their athletic performance or their health. While the body naturally produces the amino acid, you can increase your levels through dietary supplementation and certain foods.
As your levels increase, you may experience different health and exercise performance benefits. For example, l-citrulline can help widen your blood vessels, improve blood pressure, and may play a role in muscle building.
How L-Citrulline Works
Citrulline works by increasing vasodilation, a process that widens the arteries and veins, resulting in better circulation and blood flow. After you consume it, the body converts it into l-arginine, which then turns into nitric oxide – a natural vasodilator. By improving your circulation, you can give a boost to your workouts by increasing oxygen and blood delivery.
If you want to increase your levels, one way to do so is by eating certain foods. While most foods have not been examined for their l-citrulline content, we know that certain foods contain it. These include watermelon, pumpkins, cucumber, bitter melon, and gourds.
However, if you want to increase your levels through dietary supplements, keep in mind that there are two major forms. First, there are simply l-citrulline supplements, which contain the amino acid by itself. Second, you have citrulline malate, which combines citrulline with malate for energy production purposes and is common in sports supplements.
Citrulline Benefits
Among the benefits it provides, citrulline may help your blood vessels widen and improve your blood pressure. However, some studies show that taking a single dose of l-citrulline doesn’t improve the ability of arteries to widen. In contrast, other studies show that it can widen arteries if taken for seven days or longer.
As far as reducing blood pressure, this benefit is particularly helpful and effective if you have high blood pressure. Some studies show that taking citrulline supplements may reduce blood pressure by 4% to 15% after eight weeks. Still, the effects are inconclusive when it comes to any benefits experienced by healthy individuals.
In addition to blood pressure and vasodilation, citrulline may help increase the rise in growth hormone seen after exercise. This post-exercise rise may help your body’s adaptation abilities when you exercise. Finally, citrulline may help men with erectile dysfunction by increasing blood flow throughout the body.
The Outlook
If you decide to take l-citrulline supplements, they may benefit your exercise performance and heart health. When choosing a good supplement, consider the ingredients they contain and how it benefits you.
For instance, HeartBeet Complete contains both l-arginine and l-citrulline, along with various key vitamins and minerals. Give your workouts and health the necessary support and choose HeartBeet Complete as your citrulline supplement.
